North Kern State Prison Escapee

DELANO – An inmate assigned to North Kern State Prison (NKSP) Minimum Support Facility was discovered missing by custody staff on July 10, 2013, at approximately 1:30 a.m. Inmate Hatem Hassoun, a minimum-custody inmate, could not be located by custody staff during an unscheduled security inspection. Escape procedures were immediately activated.

Inmate Hassoun was serving a two-year sentence for Possession of a Controlled Substance with a Firearm from Los Angeles in December 2012. Hassoun is described as a 42-year-old Caucasian male with brown hair and eyes and weighing approximately 160 pounds.

Kern County law enforcement agencies and surrounding residents have been notified.

Anyone with information on Hassoun’s whereabouts or who sees him is urged to notify local authorities or North Kern State Prison, or call 911.

NKSP opened in April 1993, houses approximately 4600 inmates and is located in Delano Ca. NKSP has a two-fold mission. First, it functions as a reception center for the processing of incoming inmates from southern and northern counties. Secondly, it functions as the Central California Transportation Hub for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.